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How ex-NIMASA DG, others stole N754m, witness tells court

An investigator yesterday told an Ikeja High Court in Lagos how a former Nigerian Maritime Adminstration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director General and five other officials stole N754 million belonging to the agency.

Mr Chukwudi Orji of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spoke during his testimony in the ongoing trial of ex-NIMASA Director General Patrick Akpobolokemi and six others on a 13-count charge of stealing and fraud.

Orji told the court: “Vimsat Committee, a committee of NIMASA, opened an account in a bank, which had only two inflows.

“On Aug. 29, 2015, N498.4 million was paid into that account by NIMASA and on May 20, 2015, N318 million was also paid into that account by NIMASA.

“This gave the account a total inflow of N816.2 million. On Sep. 29, 2015, there was a transfer of N11 million into the account of one Lakewood Garden Ventures Ltd from the Vimsat Committee account.

“The money was never used for research work as it was mandated to be. This money was part of the sharing formula of the defendants.”

Orji, explaining the role of Vincent Udoye, one of the defendants in the alleged scam, said:”On March 6, 2015 N7.8 million was transferred from Vimsat account into the another account with Diamond Bank account with number -0020802815 of the fifth defendant (Udoye).

“On June 4, 2015 he transferred N5 million from that account into another Diamond Bank account with number 006567038 which was also operated by him.

“The N5 million transferred was fixed on the same day and was liquidated on Sep. 2, 2014 and he was paid an interest of N24,000.

“The N5 million is still in his account as at the time the EFCC asked for his statement.

“He also transferred N2.5million into the bank account of Adegboyega Olopoenia (the sixth defendant).”

The N7.8 million disbursed by the defendants, Orji said, was part of funds from Gama Marine Nigeria Ltd which were originally from the account of the Vimsat Committee.

“All these transfers were done in a bid to conceal the source of the funds,” he said.

Throwing more light on the role of Gama Marine Nigeria Ltd in the alleged fraud, Orji said Adegboyega Olopoenia (the sixth defendant) was a signatory to the account of Gama Marine.

According to him, N10 million was transferred to Vincent Udoye in six tranches from that account by Olopoenia, totalling N60 million.

“It was conceived to be used under the guise of award of contract to Gama Marine but there was no contract.”

The investigator also told the court how another company, Arrow World Consulting Ltd, was used to transfer money from NIMASA by the defendants.

“In relation to Arrow World Consulting, the third (Ekene Nwakuche) and fourth (Governor Juan) defendants were the signatories to the account .

“Our findings were that the accounts of Arrow World Consulting received the bulk sum from the Vimsat Committee account on Feb. 12, 2015.

“They received N230 million and they received another N17 million from the account on May 6, 2015.

“Nwakuche and Juan used fictitious names while operating the Arrow World Consulting account; Nwakuche operated as Philip Emesike and Juan operated as Udoh Emakop.

“When we invited Nwakuche to our office, he confessed to be using the alias Philip Emesike saying he used the name in bank documents.

“He explained to me and my team embers that he used to sign as Emesike and he demonstrated to us how he used to sign the signature.

“N70 million was sent by Nwakuche into the bank account of Dorcas Nwakuche and N70 million was paid into the bank account of Kadice Oil and Gas Ltd.

“The third and fourth defendants also made various transfers to different accounts from the Arrow World Consulting account,” he said.

Orji told the court how the EFCC uncovered the forged documents used to carry out bank transactions by Arrow World Consulting.

“Arrow World Consulting did not do any work for NIMASA, I personally led the team to visit the company’s address at 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island.

“I met the younger brother of the original owner of the company who was residing at the premises, I was told that the owner of the company had travelled out of the country.

“Shakespeare Solicitors, the lawyers to the real owner of Arrow World Consulting, came to the EFCC office with a power of attorney and made a statement.

“The lawyers commenced an action at the Ikeja High Court against the bank in which judgment was given in favour of the real owner of Arrow World Consulting.

“The real owner of Arrow World was awarded N10million damages by Justice F. Bankole-Oki against the bank for opening the account without the consent of the owners — the number of that suit is LD/1872/CMW/2016,” Orji said.

Oyedepo, the EFCC prosecutor, sought to tender as evidence, a letter written by Shakespeare Solicitors on the alleged fraud to the EFCC to which a copy of the judgment was attached.

Mr Seni Adio (SAN), lawyer to Nwakuche, however, objected to the tendering of the letter as evidence, saying it was irrelevant to the charge of the defendants and also not part of the original proof of evidence.

Justice Raliatu Adebiyi, in her ruling, held that the letter was relevant to proceedings and was, therefore, admissible as evidence.